New Statesman 2016 Supplement: If you don’t take action, who will? A Good Society Without Poverty

Whose responsibility is poverty?

There is a growing consensus that current narratives around poverty have failed andÂ that a new approach is needed to create a good society â€“ one that requires collectiveÂ action from government, charities, business and communities and which is willing toÂ try new ways of working.

The question of how to end poverty in Britain hasÂ been central to the work ofÂ socialÂ reformers since Beatrice Webbâ€™sÂ 1909 Minority Report on the Poor LawÂ challenged society to end destitution. However, top-down technocratic responses to poverty have proved inadequate and ill-suited to contemporary Britain.Â The key question to ask, therefore, isÂ not how to end poverty, but â€śwho should end poverty?â€ť

In responding to this question, contributors to this year’s Webb Memorial Trust New Statesman supplement have examinedÂ themes of responsibility, agency,Â and power. Â TheÂ supplement includes articles from Oxfam, the Centre for Local Economic Studies, University of Warwick Employment Institute and The Fabian Society,Â among others.